Scanners are used on inserters for scanning control codes and other information encoded on enclosures or envelopes. Generally, a scanner is mounted below a deck for scanning through an aperture in the deck. The scanner scans a predetermined segment of an enclosure or envelope, on which the control code is printed, as such segment passes over the scanner. Typically, the control code is located along one edge of the enclosure or envelope. This requires the aperture in the deck be located at a position over which the edge of the enclosure or envelope passes.
Problems with paper jams have been experienced when a corner of the leading edge of the enclosure or envelope being scanned has been caught in the aperture. The frequency of paper jams during an operation of the inserter will depend on the size of the aperture, the characteristics of the material being scanned and the proximity of the control code to the edge of the document. For larger apertures, thinner material, or a control code printed right on the edge of the document, the likelihood of a paper jam occurring is increased.
There is another a problem with a fixed aperture in the feed deck. Having a fixed location for the aperture limits the flexibility to handle codes positioned at a different location or codes encoded on different sized material. Typically, a reconfiguration of the deck by a service technician is required when the inserter is used to handle material of a different size or control code format.
Present set-up procedures requires the use of a tool to remove the sensor from its previous position and to remount the sensor at its new position. A test is then performed to determine if the sensor is in the correct position. Generally, this procedure must be repeated several times until the test confirms that the sensor is in the correct position for a particular set of sheets being processed on the inserter machine. At best, such procedures are time consuming and tedious on a table top inserter because of the limited space available for access to the sensor location.
Solutions for solving the foregoing problems are disclosed in U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 430,758 and 430,753 both filed on Nov. 2 1989 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The solutions included a transparent transport deck with a scanner adjustably mounted by velcro and positioned below the transport deck. These solutions, which require physical access to the scanner location under the deck, work well for some inserters, such as Pitney Bowes 8300 series console inserters. However, they are less suitable for table top inserters because of the accessibility constraints caused by the size of the machine. Another limitation with these solutions is that they require a service technician to make the adjustments.